Driving in Florida means sharing the road with tens of thousands of other motorists whose actions you cannot predict. Fortunately, there are numerous programs available that aim to help you develop the knowledge and observational skills that could help make your time behind the wheel safer. These are known as driver improvement courses and, whether taken under your own initiative or to mitigate your penalties after a car accident, they may offer valuable benefits.
One great potential advantage of completing a driver improvement course is that it may help you save money on your car insurance. While there is no requirement that they do so, many auto insurers reward drivers who have graduated from accredited traffic schools by offering them lower rates.
If you are facing points on your license due to moving violations, driver improvement courses may prove even more valuable. You could opt to keep points from being added by going to traffic school, as long as the citation was for a non-criminal driving offense.
In more serious cases, such as reckless driving, you may have your license taken if you do not complete a driver improvement class. Some of the reasons you could be required to attend traffic school may include the following:
- Red light violations
- Unlawfully passing a school bus
- Participating in racing on the highway, whether as a spectator or a driver
- Sending someone to the hospital in a car crash you caused
Additionally, you may have to complete a driver improvement course if you caused more than $500 in crash-related damage twice within two years.
Source: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, “Basic Driver Improvement Courses,” accessed June 16, 2016
